Men's 400M Finals Video: James Kirani Wins Gold for Grenada After Americans Are Left Out Of Race
James Kirani from Grenada won the men's 400m at the London Olympic Games 2012 on Monday, finishing in 43.94 seconds.
James, 19 bested Luguelin Santos from Dominican Republic who finished in 44.46 seconds and Lalonde Gordon of Trinidad and Tobago who finished third in 44.52 seconds.
Belgian runners and twins Kevin and Jonathan Borlee finished fifth and sixth respectively.
"It means a lot. I am so excited," James told reporters, according to Reuters.
Kirani claimed the first medal for his country in the entire history of the Olympic Games.
He also dethroned Americans who had won the event since 1980. Americans did not qualify for the final for the first time ever.
Defending champion LaShawn Merritt pulled up halfway through his 400-meter heat and did not make it to the final after suffering a tender left hamstring.
Kirani established a new record for Grenada but fell short from the world record for the event held by Michael Johnson from the United States who finished the race in 43.18 seconds in 1999.
Watch Kirani Win the 400m Below:
